Vladimir’s work captures imaginary moments and narratives based on emotions, intuition and irrationality. Concepts such as inspiration, obsession, temptation, irony and madness are transformed into concrete and vivid images, where various characters are assembled to interact with each other and their environment. Common occurrences are juxtaposed with absurd and nonsensical situations. The artist attempts to make sense of our own actions and interactions through visual metaphors and humor, often going beyond logic and reason.

 

The drawings and structures presented at Random Turns originated from sketches, drafts and studio experiments created over the past few years. Some of Vladmir’s works are further explorations of the ideas that took root in his book illustration projects; other times, the compositions were inspired by random occurrences that happened throughout the day. Many of the artworks were created with much consideration for the environment in and around Turn Park Art Space.

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Vladimir Zimakov is a Boston-based artist, printmaker and illustrator, specializing in techniques such as charcoal drawing, relief printmaking, silkscreen and letterpress among other traditional and digital media. He is the Professor of Art and Design and the Director of the Wedeman Art Gallery at Lasell University, located in Newton, MA.

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After graduating from the Kansas City Art Institute, Vladimir apprenticed with a renowned artist Mihail Chemiakin in Claverack, New York, and worked as the Director of the Museum of Imagination in Hudson, NY. This experience has strengthened his interest in art history, drawing, book art and illustration. Following the apprenticeship, he studied at the Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London and has earned a Master of Art Degree in Communication Design. Since then, Vladimir has illustrated books and designed book covers for the world's leading publishing houses such as Penguin, Random House, Faber and Faber, Centipede Press, the Folio Society, Oxford University Press, as well as fine press publishers – Foolscap Press and Mad Parrot Press, among others; illustrating the literary works of Nikolai Gogol, Gustav Meyrink, Bram Stoker, Ray Bradbury, John Fowles, Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, et al. He also creates his own limited edition books under the imprint Wild Pangolin Press. His most recent book is based on the nonsensical poem by Lewis Carroll – Haddocks’ Eyes.

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Vladimir’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in America and Europe. The limited edition books that he created can be found in the collections of Columbia, NYU, Stanford, Tufts and other major university libraries. He is actively involved in the book art and design community and regularly participates in artists’ book and printmaking events in the US and abroad.